Looks pretty cool. I like the idea. But, this only applies to bounce speedlites indoors and it's really not that intelligent, it's more of a hand to hold for someone who is terrified by using a speedlite. It will certainly help someone who has zero flash knowledge, or lighting knowledge in general. But they'll outgrow it once they realize what it's doing and how they can do it faster, and make creative/intelligent choices without pre-flashing to figure it out.

How long will those little gears hold up to sand and other particles getting under the lip, grinding away, getting bumped or knocked. How many real photographers don't ever bump or knock their flash heads?

I don't see it replacing experience and skill. It really just helps someone who literally has no clue and just has the flash pointing "up" all the time and never adjust when they change orientation. It doesn't help the user figure out how to not target the dark wood rafter ceiling compared to the clear window wall compared to a dark green wallpaper all in the same room with a bounce does it?

I look at the product as a way to help the people that need that extra nudge to step up to the plate. The other 80% ambient light photographers are sitting at the far end of the dugout trying not to be seen by the manager peeing their pants.

Does seem niche to me. A photographer who's beginning to learn flash, should begin to learn scenarios for bounce flash angles and direct flash pretty quickly. As for the semi-auto mode which Canon is claiming that pros can use, I haven't ever forgotten to change my flash angle when I've changed my camera direction. Chances are I'm recomposing and may want a different direction anyway. I also now am in the Canon RT ecosystem, so I am not part of the demographic for this product.

Yeah, this is definitely targeted toward the novice. No RT wireless capability and no port for a battery pack - I bet this thing chews up AA's like a kid through Halloween candy. I read on Petapixel (I think?) that this flash also struggles with bounce when it's trying to measure off a colored ceiling.

To low powered to truly be of interest to professionals, not yet sophisticated enough to be of value to professionals...but maybe it is the beginning of a new generation of flash capabilities which grow in sophistication and utility in conjunction with the camera bodies designed to exploit its capabilities (today, only two bodies work well with its features).

And like other technologies, it may continue to need the knowledgeable professional (or knowledgeable enthusiast) in order to exploit fully what it can do one day, and it also can be beneficial to increase the use of flash units by know-nothing snapshooters.

Exposure Automation started out as the amateur's tool, and progressively grew in sophistication to where even professionals use it (and use it to better effect than snapshooters).

bigVinnie wrote in post #18574465Wonder what it will do the first time someone slaps some tupperware on the top of it?

Well, for the semiautomatic mode, once you set a specific aiming, when you reorient the camera Portrait/Landscape is will simply replicate the aiming.

For the automatic mode, it fires at the subject and then one upward and calculates the 'right' bounce angle (assuming a simple rectangular box of a room), and so it will see zero difference between the two results,what it does in that identical-result circumstance we need to see what the programming says it should do.

But ya... this will help alot of newb moms with cameras get better photos.

In the end... they will sell big amounts of them because the "mass market" are people who see DSLR as the best IQ because it's what the pro use and they know the pro use the flash but they have zero idea how to use it. My neighbor has a BRAND NEW 430exII and she hasn't touched it in 6 years.

Canon will make money... they will build a stronger customer base. I think it's smart on their part.

The things that are missing in this flash are the responsibility of Mrs. Nakamura. Who is she? Well she's the lady who cleans the restrooms in the Canon headquarters. She moonlights as the director of R&D and Marketing for Canon. They wanted to name the 6D Mark II as the "6D Nakamura" in honor or the things that are missing from this camera. But, she was too shy to let them do that

Mrs. Nakamura just cannot figure out who is supposed to buy the items she develops and just what these people need.

The results are concoctions like the 6D Mark II and the 470EX-AI that have lots of things going for them but are missing out on lots of other things.

One thing is certain, Mrs. Komura of Nikon and Mrs. Takahashi of Sony are staying up late at night (after the toilets have been cleaned) to decide what to offer in competition with the new Canon flash.

Mrs. Komura is opting for an expresso maker in their next camera but, Mrs. Takahashi states that an espresso maker is too Italian and is pulling for a sushi maker for her cameras. The only problem is that they cannot find a Japanese Sushi chef small enough to be included in the new Sony 7777RX2088

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